By TecRounder
For years, Android has been created in a way that has allowed the public to see Google’s work. However, that is about to change, as Google has officially announced that it will begin developing the operating system solely in its internal branch.
The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has made the majority of Google’s efforts to build Android as an operating system visible to the public. But beginning next week, Google will move that work behind closed doors.
Google told Android Authority that “all Android development will occur within Google’s internal branches,” the publication reports. This is a departure from how Android has traditionally been developed, but it also aligns with Google’s more recent actions. For a time now, Google has been developing most portions of Android behind closed doors in its “internal branches,” with the “AOSP branch” only possessing some aspects of Android’s foundation (including Bluetooth, kernel, and certain other fundamental components). As a result, it’s been a long time since the current state of AOSP was at the same level as Google’s internal builds, forcing developers and others to wait for a public release to receive all of the latest updates.
Google’s decision to shift everything to its internal, private development branch will not affect the rate at which new builds come. Rather, this could streamline the procedure and avoid disputes when merging the branches.
This does not imply that Google is turning Android into a closed-source platform; rather, the open-source portion will be provided only when a new branch with those changes is uploaded to AOSP, such as when new full versions or maintenance releases are completed.
Finally, this new structure is unlikely to cause any modifications for Android users. App developers will most likely be unaffected. The most significant impact may be on tidbits discovered in AOSP that make their way into the public spotlight, such as the recent appearance of “Pixel 10” in an AOSP commit. That may be for the best, as small details are sometimes misinterpreted or overhyped, confusing later on.
An official announcement of the move is expected “later this week,” with the actual shift taking place next week. We’ll update this post as Google provides more information.
Views: 100
